Intern doctors’ placement in Limpopo ‘well-planned’

The South African Medical Association in Limpopo says the January placement of intern doctors and community service doctors was so well-planned this time around and is proceeding well, a few days into the new year.

SAMA’s provincial chairperson Dr Sizeka Maweya says 132 interns have already been placed at Limpopo’s public health institution in the new year.

He says the Mankweng and the Pietersburg Provincial hospitals received the highest number of intern placements, at 30 interns each.

Dr Maweya has credited the involvement of SAMA for ensuring a better-organised placement of intern doctors, saying that all the hiccups were sorted out in advance.

Dr Maweya says it is difficult to determine how interns will be able to improve services in hospitals but SAMA is happy that at least these interns are gaining the much-needed experience which will prove useful in a few years’ time.

He says community service doctors , who have already completed 2 year training , will make an immediate positive impact.

Maweya further says the placement of specialists that was announced by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi in December 2018, is already happening at the Mankweng and Pietersburg hospitals.

He says they are most happy with a new placement of a provincial Head of Department of General surgeons, a critical position that Limpopo never had before.